[Regia-NA] Pigments

[rmhowe]

Linda Rice wrote:
> Oh Hazel, you wicked woman!  While this does sound lovely and oh-so-useful, $250 is way beyond the
> budget right now. It may be Christmas, but mine is already gotten.  :-/
> 
> On a brighter note, my (early Christmas present) copy of "_Woven Into the Earth_" just arrived
> moments ago. Not entirely Viking, but it is *wonderful* nonetheless.  So many fabulous photos and
> details! Why am I sitting here at the computer??? 
> 
> Pax,
> ::Linda::

My copy of Sewn into the Earth arrived a few weeks ago. Took it to the
Mother-in-laws the last time we stayed for a week. Somehow, her being
92 and all, I didn't show that one to her but it is a very nice book.
Still haven't read all of it.

On another vein some of the Manx Camp (mostly Laurels), my wife
and a local SCA Pelican did the Viking Camp bit for the local
Scandinavian Christmas Fair, which really wasn't that bad.
Tent, food, embroidery practices, artefacts, a Mastermyr chest
and some of the recreated tools for it, etc.

I have a collection of both original and recreated artefacts, some
of the old ones are in good enough condition to be handed to examine.
SO I got swamped by a number of chaperoned fairly polite and excited 
male youngsters who were very enthusiastic about the weapons display.
Upon handing a real medieval spearhead to a young boy:
"Is this REAL?'
"Yes, it is, and just think of all the people it might have been
stuck into!"
Eyes got big as saucers. :)
Well, it could very well have happened.

It was the generic type of iron spearhead which was from the Balkans
but which could have been dated to mostly later Iron Age and medieval
cultures over more than a 1500 year span.

Most of the arrowheads I had on display are provable to have
been similar to the same types used at Birka, Merowingian
areas, Haithabu, and I had the books there with me and open.
Same with the spearhead. They had a wide variety of both socketed
and tanged heads.

I have seen references recently that the Franks used swallowtail
arrowheads with long square, rectangular or twisted shanks between
the sockets and the heads. Supposedly dating to circa 400-900 AD,
longer than the English swallowtailed arrows dating from the
longbow and hundred years' war era. Anyone got any particular
knowledge of this?  What I have seen is merely stated opinions
on the web but no references cited. Most other types I can document.

Magnus